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DWM 1915/1920 98m find

THunter

Well-known member
Crusty DWM 1915/1920 98m

Scored this one today. Local find off a social media group for Mausers. The current owner posted pictures Thursday night asking what it was and how much it was worth. Seeing the pictures and realizing he was only a 35 minute drive away I jumped on it - you just don't find stuff "out of the woodwork" around here. We agreed to meet up today and I ended up taking it home. The seller said he bought it from the vets family at a local estate sale 2 years ago and it was displayed on a wall in the vets home.

The rifle itself is an all matching 1915 DWM with the 1920 property mark. This one retained pretty much all its imperial parts save for the rear band, the safety, barrel and the rear sight components. Rear band is SuWw 1936 marked. Safety is an armourers E/214, the rear sight slider is HZa marked while the rest of the components are P74 - base is E/6. Barrel is Nazi proofed above the woodline. Will look under the hood when it comes time to clean to get the barrel code. Stock has a heel repair spliced & bears faint imperial proofs. Stock is dufflecut behind the rear band and the right side of the forend is damaged. The sling is in decent shape and it also came with a rough later pattern M1898 Mauser bayonet that's missing its grips and lock bar.

Condition appears a little rough but most of it is dust and surface rust so it should clean up nicely. I plan on giving this one an extended Kroil soak and with the help of bronze wool will knock the surface surface rust off. Luckily theres no pitting or bad rust. The stock will get light rub of howards and the damage to the forend will be repaired. Will post pictures after the cleanup.

This stuff is still out there and can still be found for a really good price.
 

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That's got a really neat look to it. I don't say this often but not sure I'd even oil that one, really cool how it sits :thumbsup:
 
Looks like a nice pick up, but do a close search over the stock to see if a depot marking can be found. The wrist is a good place, so can the lower and sides of the buttstock, - but it should have one... earlier they are more varied, later more restrictive in depot acceptance placement. Of course the BC is extremely important to date these, it looks to be lacking the FP on the barrel, if so then the barrel is probably a VERY early (postwar) replacement. - Or late war (WWI) replacement.

The rifle being an interwar rework, or upgrade, AND matching down to the bolt is very rare. The rifle is probably worth more than you think, even with the stock problems, but of course cleaning it, how you do it, will matter a great deal. Looks like it may have some idiot marks on the barrel, some gorilla using a wrench to remove the barrel, though hard to say with these pictures. As an experienced collector, you know how to clean a rifle, so I am sure it will come out great!

Be sure to do a picture of the RR also, this is as important to my research as any other feature.
 
Love the heel repair, I have an all matching s/42g with the same depot repair. I need to remind myself to check the barrel date again.
 
Good pickup, you've got your work cut out for you in cleaning it up. Of course the original sling is a plus.
 
Got it apart tonight. The barrel was replaced. Shoulder is marked 0,2 Barrel code is "S(trapezium)35 706D E/214x3 with a very tiny eagle mg10 for Magdeburg near the barrel code and shoulder. Theres a Nazi firing proof by the barrel's SN and the font seems to match known Magdeburg examples. You were right about the idiot marks unfortunately, theres more of them under the woodline and theyre deep. :googlie luckily most of it is hidden when its in the stock. The sight slider is HZa??? marked..cant really make out the numbers tough. The stock proofs are faint and the only thing I can seem make out are imperial proofs on the side of the stock.

do a close search over the stock to see if a depot marking can be found. The wrist is a good place, so can the lower and sides of the buttstock, - but it should have one... earlier they are more varied, later more restrictive in depot acceptance placement. Of course the BC is extremely important to date these, it looks to be lacking the FP on the barrel, if so then the barrel is probably a VERY early (postwar) replacement. - Or late war (WWI) replacement.

Looks like it may have some idiot marks on the barrel, some gorilla using a wrench to remove the barrel, though hard to say with these pictures.
 
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The barrel code actually has a "35" in it? Not a 38? Lots are generally progressive and that lot is kind of high for a 1935 barrel, and typically they use "G" for 1935, not "35", though anything is possible I suppose, I just haven't seen this pattern before. But G98 JPS barrels are less trended than 98k barrels and they have more variables.

What does the RR look like? Any additional markings? The lack of markings on the stock are probably due to handling, probably worn away and from neglect. A bad combination, but I have seen worse... idiot marks from wrenches are all too common, the problem here is they are currently faint due to the neglect, you clean it up they may be more pronounced... I have a really neat sterngwehrs that could be a twin of yours, idiot marks and heavy neglect and carelessness, when cleaned the marks became more obvious.

These closet finds, especially Imperial and interwar (which are rarer) speak to you sometimes though and I have grown to overlook the flaws as character.


Got it apart tonight. The barrel was replaced. Shoulder is marked 0,2 Barrel code is "S(trapezium)35 706D E/214x3 with a very tiny eagle mg10 for Magdeburg near the barrel code and shoulder. Theres a Nazi firing proof by the barrel's SN and the font seems to match known Magdeburg examples. You were right about the idiot marks unfortunately, theres more of them under the woodline and theyre deep. :googlie luckily most of it is hidden when its in the stock. The sight slider is HZa??? marked..cant really make out the numbers tough. The stock proofs are faint and the only thing I can seem make out are imperial proofs on the side of the stock.
 
Im not 100% sure of that digit in the barrel code. It looked like a 5, but with the style of E/214 proofs im thinking its later than 35-36 and more like late 37-38.

What is the significance of the Mg10 marking? Is that the depot that did the rebarrel? I don't know much about Magdeburg.

What about the HZa slider? Was that part simply made there?

The Su4 marked lower band is pretty standard.

Will do RR pictures soon.

For $360 this one spoke strongly to me LOL. The bluing is cleaning up nicely.
 
Magdeburg is in central Germany southwest of Berlin, an important HZa, mostly related to tanks and SPG's; little is mentioned in wartime studies regarding rifles, but I have recorded two inspectors, Mg5 and Mg10, Mg10 is most often associated with rifles, several are Polish rifles in German service, but G98's have been recorded also. They have distinctive eagles, but I didn't see the eagles or acceptance on your rifle. Typically if a rifle goes through a major depot it gets a re-barrel, very rarely otherwise in my experience.

Large depots did make small components, though I have not recorded a slider, or is it a scale (bar)?

$360 is a damn good price considering.
 
Magdeburg is in central Germany southwest of Berlin, an important HZa, mostly related to tanks and SPG's; little is mentioned in wartime studies regarding rifles, but I have recorded two inspectors, Mg5 and Mg10, Mg10 is most often associated with rifles, several are Polish rifles in German service, but G98's have been recorded also. They have distinctive eagles, but I didn't see the eagles or acceptance on your rifle. Typically if a rifle goes through a major depot it gets a re-barrel, very rarely otherwise in my experience.

Large depots did make small components, though I have not recorded a slider, or is it a scale (bar)?

$360 is a damn good price considering.

Been working on cleaning the rifle up and I'm pleased with how its cleaning up. Kroil, bronze wool and a old copper penny works wonders. I can make out the marking on the rear sight slide now (the part the button/lock bar fits into) and its marked HZaJt18. Ill do some close ups of the firing proof (eagle) and the Mg10 on the barrel when done cleaning.
 
after pictures:
 

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Last pictures with some before and afters:

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If cleaned the right way these "junkers" can turn into "lookers"
 

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RE 98m

Congrats on the cleanup, that turned out great. I would have never expected that much blueing left under that crud.
 
I would be curious to read some documentation from the armorers that rebuilt rifles. I have seen a multitude, maybe 20-30 rifles over the years that the barrel, though marred with "idiot" marks, appear to have been on the rifles for a considerable amount of time. Several were matching numbers. All were still in original military form. I really struggle to think that the damage was from armorers, who, presumably would have the proper tools. On the flip side, several friends who were military armorers report the exact opposite experience. Most of the older gunsmiths I have known, who were around and working in the 50's and 60's, said they would just pitch a rifle if they couldn't get the barrel off. I don't see one of them putting it back together and keeping it.

Excellent job on the clean up! These are the kind of rifles I like to pick up. Typically you can pick them up inexpensive, and with a little preservation work, they look nice.

Course, your experience isn't as shallow as an ashtray :facepalm::laugh: so that helps
 
Thanks for the comments guys. My secret to a good clean up like this one is an break down of all parts and submerging them in kroil for 72 hours. Fine bronze wool for most of the surface rust and a copper penny was used to descale the heavy rust. Lastly a light wipe of howards feed and wax on the wood.

I personally think the idiot marks were either an attempt at shortening the length of the rifle so it could be shipped home or somebodys failed atempt at post war sporterizing. We will never know.
 
Perfect cleaning. It is obvious that you do not have to hurry. The oil bath benefited. Another saved rifle from the rebuilding period Gew.98 for reichswehr. Congratulation.
 

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